Royal Mail is pleased to announce the appointment of Alex Batchelor, currently Vice President Global Brand at mobile telecommunications company Orange, as Marketing Director UK reporting to Chief Executive Adam Crozier.
The appointment follows Royal Mail’s announcement in September that it would seek a new marketing director as it enters the next phase of its transformation and faces full competition in the marketplace from January 1.
Read MorePost offices in thousands of villages could close over the next few years after Labour failed to give a manifesto commitment to support the loss-making rural network. Colin Baker, the general secretary of the Federation of SubPostmasters, said that he was disappointed at the lack of support after he and other organisations had lobbied for a pledge that rural offices would be protected. Mr Baker said he feared that all 6,000 loss-making rural post offices, of the rural network of 8,000, would close without government cash.
Rural post offices are supported by an annual government payment of Pounds 150 million but that is intended to continue only until the end of 2007. The threat to rural post offices comes after the recent closure of 2,600 urban post offices.
Labour has said: “We have made no commitment for the future of the post offices after 2008 but we are keeping the matter under review.”
Read MorePostwatch chairman Peter Carr is urging business mail users to look again at compensation they received from Royal Mail, after it paid a further GBP200,000 to a UK building society which queried an original settlement. Royal Mail has admitted failing to properly process invoices during 2003-04, resulting in the increased payout. Carr comments: “Royal Mail failed all of its 15 performance targets in 2003-04. Customers were promised compensation. “Postcomm believes that GPB80m was owed, but only around GBP40m has been paid a year later. I advise all business product mailers to find out from Royal Mail how much compensation they should have received, and compare this with how much has been paid.”
Read MorePostal workers employed by Royal Mail have accepted a pay rise of Pounds 11.50 a week plus a Pounds 100 Christmas bonus, the Communication Workers Union has announced. The annual increase in basic pay is worth about 3.8 per cent for most postal workers rising to 4.5 per cent for the lowest paid “providing all workers with an above inflation increase”, said David Ward, the CWU’s deputy general secretary. Royal Mail said that the agreement with the CWU had been reached ahead of schedule, the first time this had happened for a number of years, and was a “good example of the current constructive relationship the company has with the union”.
Read MoreThe Royal Mail is to remain in government hands, Labour’s election manifesto will pledge next week in a promise that is likely to be welcomed by party loyalists and trades unions. Tony Blair has decided that, while competition to open up the postal market should continue as the government brings more private involvement into the running of public services, the Royal Mail itself should remain in state ownership. The manifesto pledge effectively rules out a partial sell-off of the business, one option that is thought to interest Allan Leighton, its chairman. There has been persistent speculation that the government might approve a part-privatisation after the general election. However, ministers are in agreement with trades unions, which have argued fiercely against it.
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